Discourse Of Removing The Transjakarta Route Blok M-Kota Criticized, Transportation Agency Opens Opportunities To Adjust MRT Tariffs

Passengers queue at the Transjakarta bus stop. (Between-Reno Esnir)

JAKARTA - Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, responded to the discourse on removing the Transjakarta route in corridor 1, namely Blok M-Kota, if the Jakarta MRT on the Lebak Bulus-Kota route operates.

Syafrin realized that Transjakarta corridor 1 users did not agree if they had to switch to using the Jakarta MRT. This is because the MRT tariff is very different from Transjakarta. Therefore, Syafrin opens the opportunity to adjust or lower Jakarta MRT rates.

"In that case, it will be adjusted as a whole," Syafrin told reporters, Monday, December 23.

Syafrin also explained the reason for the discourse on removing the Transjakarta route in corridor 1, namely Blok M-Kota. When MRT Jakarta phase 2A operates, the route to the Lebak Bulus-Kota service will be the same as 100 percent with the Transjakarta Blok M-Kota route.

Meanwhile, the DKI Provincial Government needs to save on APBD expenditure for transportation subsidies or public service obligation (PSO) whose value reaches trillions of rupiah per year.

"We must make efficiency in the management of PSO funds, Subsidy funds. Where, based on the results of a study of mass public transport services which are 100 percent parallel, automatically there will be two subsidies there," he said.

Syafrin emphasized that in the future, bus stops and buses that have been serving routes in corridor 1 will still exist. However, there will be changes in routes and stop points from serving the 1 Blok M-Kota corridor.

"So there is no one who stops being a waste because it is still being used to integrate between road transportation and rail transportation," added Syafrin.

Previously, Chairman of the Institute for Transportation Studies (Instran) Ki Darmaningtyas assessed that not everyone was willing to move transportation from Transjakarta to MRT Jakarta. This is because the MRT Jakarta tariff is clearly much more expensive because it is based on the distance.

Currently, the tariff for MRT Jakarta Lebak Bulus HI has reached Rp. 14,000. Meanwhile, the single Transjakarta tariff for use on any route is only Rp. 3,500.

"With such a tariff, it is clearly impossible for Transjakarta users to reach it. The tariff is affordable for private car users," said Darmaningtyas.